Voter voices: Why Southland voters went to the polls

Voters across Southern California headed for the polls on Tuesday, many to vote in the presidential race and on a number of state propositions they said were important to them. Times reporters asked them what brought them out to the polls. Here are some of their responses.

Voters across Southern California headed for the polls on Tuesday, many to vote in the presidential race and on a number of state propositions they said were important to them. Times reporters asked them what brought them out to the polls. Here are some of their responses.

Clive Alexander tells Times reporter Frank Shyong why he voted for President Obama.

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Julia Wick

Julia Wick, 23, talks to Times reporter Wesley Lowery at the Grand Park watch party in downtown L.A.

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Fay Thaw

Fay Thaw, 43, a clinical psychologist of Woodland Hills wanted to show her sons Evan, 7, and Adam, 10, the importance of voting.

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Brandon Burgason

Brandon Burgason of Costa Mesa owns his own business and voted after work.

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Randy Miner

Randy Miner of Costa Mesa voted at the Armenian Apostolic Church.

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Deanna Moreno

Deanna Moreno, 48, of East L.A. on the death penalty.

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David Janus

David Janus, a sophomore at USC, dropped by the university's Catholic Center to vote Tuesday. He voted no on Proposition 30, adding that he thinks incentives for thriving schools, not money, will help the school system.

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Markos Markakis

The 36-year-old truck driver from Woodland Hills explains what drove him to the polls Tuesday.

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Sharon Haser

The 56-year-old nurse from Woodland Hills voted against Measure B and all the propositions on today's ballot. Regarding Measure B, she says that there are much more important things to worry about such as jobs.

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Rowena Williams

Los Angeles resident Rowena Williams waited three hours to vote on Tuesday afternoon at the Tom Bradley Youth & Family Center in Mid-City. But for the 70-year-old woman, voting was worth the wait. She said she remembers the Civil Rights movement and how people gave their lives so that African Americans could vote in the South.

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Justin Speak

Justin Speak, 19, is an LMU student who commutes from Costa Mesa. This is his first time voting.

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Rachel Carlson

Rachel Carlson, 32, rode her bike to Solano Avenue Elementary School Tuesday morning to vote. She feels passionately about public education and transit and said she therefore voted yes on Proposition 30 and Measure J. She also cast a vote for President Obama, saying she thinks he deserves another term.

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Mia Boykin

Mia Boykin, 21, voted at Solano Avenue Elementary School after dropping off her younger sister at school around 8 a.m. Boykin, who is studying English at Los Angeles City College, said she was most compelled to come out and vote by two education-related propositions — 30 and 38.

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Rakefet Gorman

Rakefet Gorman, originally from Israel, became a United States citizen in August. The 47-year-old Woodland Hills resident said she cast her first vote for Mitt Romney because of her conservative values and the former governor's strong support of the Jewish state.

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Patra Kittichanthira

Patra Kittichanthira, a 40-year-old restaurant owner who lives in Sherman Oaks, discusses the contentious Berman-Sherman race and the ballot measure on condoms in porn.

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Arun Chhatpar

Arun Chhatpar, 37, and his daughter spoke with Times reporter Rosanna Xia after Chhatpar voted for the first time in America. He's a restaurant owner and resident of Park La Brea in the Fairfax district.

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Mary Garcia

Mary Garcia of East L.A. speaks about her votes on Propositions 32 and 38.

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Samantha Melendez

Samantha Melendez of East L.A. explains her views on taxes.

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James Garcia

James Garcia of Whitter on the death penalty.

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Janice Pitler

The 49-year-old Studio City resident was turned off by the negative campaign between U.S. Reps. Brad Sherman and Howard Berman

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Linda Ramirez

L.A. resident Linda Ramirez gives her thoughts on Prop. 34, which seeks to eliminate the death penalty in California.

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Fred Rahimi

Fred Rahimi, 64, who voted at Nestle Avenue Elementary School in Tarzana, speaks about Measure B, which deals with condoms in the porn industry.

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Sabrina Cadena

Sabrina Cadena, a 19-year-old USC sophomore studying theater design, dropped by the university's Catholic Center to vote in her first election Tuesday afternoon. "I really had to research all the props," Cadena said. "I wanted to know what I was saying yes to and no to."

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Mark White

Mark White, 43, from Tarzana says he plans to vote no on Measure B, which would require performers in the adult entertainment industry to wear condoms. The government shouldn't have such a role in business, he says.

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Alan Mehdiani

Alan Mehdiani from Tarzana said California's long list of propositions and local measures drove him to the polls. The 27-year-old accountant said he has many clients in the adult entertainment industry and fears Measure B would have a negative impact on the industry if approved.

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Jennifer Saenz

Jennifer Saenz of Montebello speaks about her vote on Propositions 30 and 32.